J for joystick. As a kid, I used to spend hours playing these games with my cousin during summer vacations with our parents and grandmother. Those were carefree days, filled with pure fun and laughter. I remember learning some sneaky tricks, like how to get free coins by putting my finger in the slot and turning it upside down when the machine didn't drop them back.
K is for Kindle, a device I've always wanted but never had. Despite this, I can't help but appreciate its cool features. I've been tracking my reading habits for almost a year now and it's safe to say that I'm not much of a reader. I haven't finished a single book and have spent very little time reading in general. However, I've been listening to a lot of audiobooks. In this busy world, it's much more convenient to listen to a book while working, walking, exercising, cooking, or eating. There's no need to sit and read anymore. Just listen and multitask. Reading requires your full attention, which is difficult to give when you have a million other things to do.
[L]ego
This time, I created an L out of Lego blocks, which was the most played toy of my life. It's incredible how this simple toy can provide endless possibilities and bring out creativity in people of all ages. One of my fondest memories is visiting the Lego store, where you can buy any pieces in any quantity. I remember filling up a bucket with a variety of blocks and spending hours building different structures and characters. It's amazing how even the smallest piece can spark imagination and bring joy. Lego is not just a toy; it's a way to express oneself and bring ideas to life.
Creating the letter M was a challenge for me because of its width, but I managed to fit it into a double milk pack. Milk has been my go-to drink for years, and even now, I can't imagine my coffee without it. I used to believe the Milk cult's propaganda that it was essential for healthy bones, but it turns out that it's nothing special. The "Got Milk?" campaign was just a way to sell more milk and support farmers. When there was an excess of milk, it was converted into cheese, and eventually, it led to the creation of delicious dishes like double cheeseburgers, extra cheese pizzas, and cheese crusts. Now you know the truth behind the milk industry!
[N]autlius
League of Legends
As the letter N approached in my #36daysoftype challenge, my mind immediately went to one of my all-time favorite characters in League of Legends - Nautilus. This hulking, offensive support has always been a force to be reckoned with in the game, and I love playing as him to collect kills and wreak havoc on the enemy team. But as I looked back on my previous letters, I realized a pattern - gaming has been a big part of my life. From arcade games with my cousin as a child to competitive online matches as an adult, video games have always been a source of fun and excitement for me. And Nautilus is just one example of the amazing characters and experiences that gaming has brought into my life. Do you game? What is your favorite games and why?
Today, as I was working on the challenge for the letter O, I found myself struggling to create a rainbow texture that would bend around the shape of a donut. I tried many times but my math seemed off and it just wasn't working. So, I decided to switch to a different idea and started weaving some wires and using modifiers to create interesting shapes. Eventually, I came up with the idea to create a glass outer shell for my project.
This reminded me of a project I worked on last year, where I was creating gypsum crystals for an ad. It was a challenging task and I spent many hours trying to truly capture the light in the crystals. Glass, like crystals, is very challenging to render because it can trap light in very complex ways. In fact, rendering realistic glass objects can be so taxing that it can take hours or even days for just one frame of animation. And if you're working with multiple glassy objects, like clusters of crystals, the render engine can start giving inaccurate results no matter how many hours you render. Luckily, I found a guy who had made an advanced glass shader which made my renders look 100 times better instantly.
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As a word of advice to new #Blender users and renderers, I highly recommend skipping glass rendering in cycles. While it may seem like an impressive skill to master, the amount of time it takes to get a good result is just not worth it in the end. You can easily get lost in the process of watching your render, feeling like you're doing something productive when in reality, it's just eating up valuable time. Focus on other skills and techniques that will yield better results and contribute to your growth as an artist.
P for Persistence. It's the most overlooked quality of success and great character. Everyone wants to be successful, but to achieve success, you must persistently try, and that means you will fail along the way. The key is to learn to be good at failing and to keep going despite the setbacks.
Q for Quartz. I created a crystal cluster in the shape of the letter Q, but it took longer to render than I expected. Despite the delay, I'm happy with how it turned out.
[ R ]
R for Robocop. When I was in 2nd or 3rd grade, Robocop was a hit. I remember looking at a magazine with CGI stills and behind-the-scenes photos of Robocop. Although I couldn't read or understand English at the time, it looked so real to me. I had a friend who would imitate the sound and walk of Robocop, and it was impressive! We would play Robocop during the "window" in between classes, and I put all my effort into getting the walk right. I was doing a long walk when suddenly I got hit by a class door! My head was jammed in between two doors (one was opened in front of another) and another was "kicked" out by a girl who was leaving class early. It was a hit, and after 28 years, I still have the marks on my face from that day!
